Who Sold The World?
by Josh14Raider
Summary: The sequel and conclusion to Fall Of The Tomb Raider, Lara must embark on a new adventure and discover the truth behind a secret organisation that seeks a new change for all living beings through their new discovery. Celebrating 20 years of Tomb Raider!
1. Phoenix Rising From The Ashes

__Disclaimer: This is a Fanfiction Tomb Raider story. I do not own the characters originally from Tomb Raider, they belong to their respectable owners. This is just for entertainment reading.__

 **\- Phoenix Rising From The Ashes**

"Move out of the way! This is an emergency! We must get her to Intensive Care Immediately!"

The four doctors rushed along the many corridors of the building, clenching ever so tightly onto the patient trolley bars side by side. As people moved to make way for the oncoming trolley, they wondered who it was that needed urgent medical treatment in the facility. It was obvious though that the person in question had significance importance about them…Maybe they held valuable information that needed to be heard, and will do anything to revive her even if she was on brink of death.

Reaching the unit in one big huff, the doctors began their work to treat the awfully wounded body they had just recovered from the mountains of the Himalayas. Working extensively, the minutes ticked away until the dreaded sound from the heart monitor gave a continuous beep…

"No! We're losing her!"

"Quick grab the deliberator, we have to restart her heart!"

"Charging! Clear!"

…

No response…

"Again!"

"Charging! Clear!"

…

No response…

"Again! We cannot lose that knowledge!"

"Charging! Clear!"

…

A few tense moments the patient started to respond to the doctors' delight, however…

"No…She's in a coma…"

"Can't we do anything!?"

"Unfortunately we have pushed her to the limit, anymore and we put this operation in jeopardy by killing her…no we will have to be patient…take her away for now."

 _Months Later..._

"You killed him! He would be still alive if it weren't for you! You had driven your friend to madness! No one should care for you! There is no place for you! You will never escape! Everything is your fault! You should be dead!" Those horrific words resonated and repeated over and over again in Lara's comatose mind. She couldn't snap out of it and was trapped in her eternal sleep.

"Her vitals are stable, but who knows how long it will be till she wakes up." A mysterious female voice spoke, Lara was not alone.

"Hmmmm, when she does wake up it will be interesting to see if she has lost her memory or would be capable of answering our questions, hopefully the latter otherwise this would become a painfully long session." Another voice spoke, this time a male one.

"Well she did have multiple serious injuries when we picked her up…in fact it's nothing short of a miracle that she survived."

"Indeed, its one big coincidence that we were searching for paranormal activity that was heavily picked up around that area…Her and the remains of what seem to be a legendary dragon according to our analysis team!"

"Oh my goodness that's excellent news, so was there anything else peculiar we found out there?"

"Not yet, we have sent our experimental Project V Unit to sweep and uncover any mysteries surrounding that area."

"Okay, so until we hear something from them we wait until the woman responds to our treatment."

"Correct."

"So we know who she is yet?"

"All in good time, we have taken a sample of her DNA to analyse and identify who she is from our databases…So far no results and unfortunately as you can see her face is still too battered and bruised to do facial recognition."

The same demonic words repetitively carried on in Lara's mind, close to the brink of driving her insane and breaking her soul…"You are hated, no one likes you, there is no point of waking up, you are all alone in this world, SORROW WILL DROWN YOU!" Imprisoned, cursed and with no hope of escape Lara couldn't do anything...

Until through sheer will and determination to free herself from her mental prison, slowly but surely Lara began move her eyelids. Blurred vision was all she could see as each distinctive object in the room was morphed into each other. Not only was that but there a terrible ringing in her ears... Knowing it would take a while for her eyes to start focusing properly, she next tried moving any of her muscles. Focusing with what might she had left, she tensed and tried to move her arm…but was rewarded with nothing but the feeling of numbness and pain. All efforts of movement were interrupted though as the other two people had now noticed what Lara was trying to do.

"Look…Her eyes!" The female gasped, as the male came over and shone a blinding light into Lara's hazel eyes.

"Ah excellent news indeed. Welcome back to the world, Jane Doe."


	2. Hypnos

**\- Hypnos**

Days after her awakening, Lara was straight away put on a recovery regime where she would receive treatment and therapy to nurse her back to health. Her bruises and injuries had begun to heal up within time, and she slowly was able to start doing the most basic of tasks. Memory was a different matter though as her mind was fragmented all over the place, one day she would remember an event that had happened in her past like an adventure and then the next day she would forget. It was that bad that she believed her name was actually Jane Doe…

There was one particular obsession she had kept hold onto though…finding out what on earth those voices were about when she started to awake from her coma. Had something happened before? Where did her previous injuries come from? Where was she? Who was the person in the voices?

"So we now know our Jane Doe is in fact world famous archaeologist and tomb raider Lara Croft...how very fascinating." Her assessors had just received the valuable news of who she was.

"Yes, and she is progressing well in our recovery program…probably ready for the next stage of our plan."

"Correct…she would be a perfect test subject for our new experimental machine!"

"Considering the condition her mind is in, we are very lucky we can resort to this technology to reconstruct and showcase memories…Now we can finally see what she witnessed in her venture to the Himalayas."

"Shall we put her into the machine today?"

"Yes, we must not delay any further in our research."

"Okay, I'll have her sent up to the doctor."

Lara was half asleep when four people came to her bedside and began to cart her through the halls of the building. Everything was still a blur and after what seemed like an eternity of blurry corridors, she was now in a very cold and eerie room. With her vision returning, Lara examined the area. There were two main sections, on one side there were racks of server hardware and cabling that all led to the next side which consisted of a chair with a monitor attached and a strange headset. There was no personality about the room, and Lara was going to find out what they had in store for her.

"Ah welcome, it is a great pleasure to finally meet you Lara Croft." A man who wore a lab coat greeted the new arrival. Puzzled by the man calling her Lara Croft and believing her name was Jane, she had to question him.

"Who is Lara?" She asked. The man just chuckled in response.

"Why you are of course, we have found out that is your true name."

'Lara Croft…' The more that name was said the more familiar it became to her.

"Who are you, and what am I doing here?"

"Ah my apologies, my name is Dr. Jones. Together are going to make history today and open up your mind." He proudly announced and gave a good grin to her.

"What do you mean?" A confused Lara queried.

"By using this machine set up before you, we can delve into the furthest reaches of your memories and history. I know this sounds scary but trust me when I say this will help you discover who you really are. Please take a seat in Hypnos."

"Hypnos?"

"Sorry, Hypnos is the name of this magnificent creation. It is a unique piece of engineering that no one else has, it is something that is made up of dreams!"

"Oh…right." Lara didn't know what to make of it. Was it true or was it just pure ramblings of a madman? She dismissed the thought temporarily and sat down on the padded chair. The prospect of being able to find out who she actually is was great, but she couldn't help but feel nervous for what the machine would do to her. The headset was put upon her and the machine burst into life with noises and lights.

"You may feel a slight pinch while the machine initiates, but as long as you stay still you'll be fine."

A few keyboard clicks later, and suddenly Lara felt that hot piercing pinch…she daren't look but she knew it was an injection of some kind. All at once she started to feel drowsy.

As she closed her eyes and already images were coming into play right in front of her. It was a similar effect to seeing one's whole life in motion video and in her mind she was the only audience there. Fast forwarding through her childhood and early life, in some miraculous way Hypnos was reconstructing her memories so she started to remember what had happened previously…

The dark passages of tombs, green vegetation of jungles, mysterious corridors of long forgotten temples, exploring underwater shipwrecks and caverns were flashing before her eyes. As frightening as her many enemies were in these locations, they all fell to the sound of her weapons. It wasn't until later on when she was face to face with a particular man that she felt her heart skip…

"Kurtis…" Lara there and then instantly recognised the person who she fell in love with and changed her world. Words couldn't describe her feelings at that point…Lovely moments when they were together were pulling heartstrings inside and when he would disappear unexpectedly for a time a strange bitterness was present, however all that was whisked away when he proposed to marry her.

Happiness was soon turned into sorrow when Lara witnessed her former friend killing her love on their wedding day. Reliving that moment was just heart-breaking as tears were streaming down her face knowing the fact he was gone forever…

"This is just breathtaking! Ah excellent, here is what we have been waiting for…her last adventure to the Himalayas!" Dr. Jones spectated and revelled at what was upcoming next. All this time and energy into discovering if what she saw was true…Did they really exist?


	3. We Are Not Alone

**\- We Are Not Alone**

Watching and examining everything that Hypnos was processing through Lara's memories that she had previously forgotten due to her injuries, Dr. Jones enthusiastically watched on the display as it got onto her last adventure. Yearning for the answers, he felt himself shaking with anticipation…did she have a close encounter?

Reliving the dreadful moments of that journey against her will, Lara witnessed all of it, from the moment of her and Ayesha performing the H.A.L.O jump to trekking across the mountainous region of the Himalayas. It all became too much for her when she came face to face with Kurtis's killer and her reasoning behind why he killed him…there was no doubt Sam appeared to had lost her mind, however a sense of pity filled Lara when what turned out to be a wild goose chase was actually true. Awe was present in Dr. Jones's eyes when Hypnos was just about to showcase the secrets that were buried deep within the mountains. However unexpectedly the screen started to become fuzzy and eventually it got to the point where nothing was on show.

"What on earth is going on!?" A baffled and angered Dr. Jones shouted. Surely his masterpiece wasn't at fault, it cannot be! He thought of all the components that could've failed and how he could diagnose and fix them, that was until he heard the surprising sound of snoring. He looked up and saw his patient had drifted away to sleep.

"Hey! Wake up!" He ordered her in a mean tone. Immediately after hearing the outburst she slowly began to open her eyes.

"Hmmm huh?" Lara drowsily expressed.

"You were sleeping." The doctor answered. He certainly didn't look cheery and happy as before.

"Sorry I'm feeling tired, can't we take a break?"

"Hmph unbelievable! So you don't want to believe!? You'd rather sleep than see what our future reality could become like!"

"What are you talking about?"

"You'll see, now concentrate please!"

Once again the machine was able to delve into the depths of her mind. As Lara's venture to finding the truth behind these so called Visionary Keepers with her former friend, the more bizarre things became as they got closer to the truth. The environment, the strange cave they entered and of course the robotic guardian they had encountered, it all seemed very surreal until the explanation to it all transpired on screen…

"Oh my…I'm speechless…this is incredible…so it is true!" Dr. Jones was certainly gobsmacked by seeing the seven unknown beings that Lara had encountered in the dark chamber. His eyes widened even further as they spoke and when their bodies glowed showing and proving they were extra-terrestrial beings.

"Fascinating!" The doctor didn't know what to feel at that point. He certainly had to let his superiors know and inform the experimental Project V team the co-ordinates and whereabouts of the so-called Visionary Keepers hideout. It will be interesting if they do encounter the seven mysterious entities and if their supernatural abilities are up to the task to match and capture the seven. But before that there was still some footage playing in the background from the patient's mind.

The final scenes showcased Lara's escape from the sanctuary complex, barely getting out alive after having to avoid the vicious traps set in her path. It was then another phenomenon appeared on the visual monitor that Dr. Jones knew the wait was worth it, not just for him but for the organisation too.

"It can't be…A real live dragon! These seven beings definitely do have powers beyond imagination!" He whispered to himself, still eagerly watching all of the events unfolding…The eventual death of Lara's former friend from being crushed by the dragon, even with spirits low Lara somehow miraculously defeating the winged monster and finally clinging onto life after falling into the avalanche. The results were astounding and this was enough evidence for the organisation to go ahead with this course of action...

'This will change the world, we are going to make history from now on!" Dr. Jones excitedly thought, knowing all too well it will be mostly thanks to him. At this point the Hypnos machine started to finish saving the data from the session and Lara snapped out of the virtual realm. Now with the knowledge of who she is and with Hypnos having filled in the vital blank spots of her memory in that space of time, Lara wanted to know what was going to happen next.

"What are you going to do now?" She asked the doctor who was just finishing off scribbling some notes. He looked straight at her with a grin that Lara took as a sign of bad news.

"Heh heh, you're going to find out in a minute Ms Croft." The doctor answered. He then walked over to the phone and dialled a number in. After a short pause Lara listened to the doctor's responses.

"It's me I have fantastic news, the Hypnos experiment on the recovered patient was a resounding success and furthermore it is true…we are not alone…Yes I couldn't believe it either, I assume the data is being transferred from Hypnos as we speak and Project V are well underway in sweeping that particular area…Excellent…No, the patient is still with us…Hmmm good idea she has been through a lot and probably would still be of some use…Yes please do…Why thank you, I can feel we are going to make a substantial difference in the future of everything around us, dreams will at last come alive around us and today will mark that change…Great I'll contact you if any news comes my way, good-bye." Dr. Jones ecstatically put the phone down and came back over to Lara's side.

"So are you now going to tell me what is happening?" Lara questioned, she was losing patience with her current situation. As if on cue for security guards had entered, all armed with non-lethal weapons.

"Well I'm sure you can figure it out now, we'll meet again soon Ms Croft." The good doctor said with a smile, and with that one of the guards drew out a Tranquilizer gun and in a matter of seconds Lara became unconscious and was carried out of the room.


	4. Imprisoned

**\- Imprisoned**

A few hours had passed until the effects of the tranquilizer that had been fired at Lara wore off. She felt weak and drowsy as she struggled to get up from the bed she was brought to. Looking around Lara knew she had been locked up in a cell, from seeing no windows apart from a small window integrated into the door itself, the bed she was on and a toilet with a wash basin and shower next to it. There were so many questions that needed answering, what was she doing there? Who was this organisation and what are they expecting to achieve out of this?

Thanks to Hypnos the highs and lows of her memories had returned to her and she was back to old self, though she couldn't decide whether it was worth it or not. Lara lost track of the amount of time she had spent in the cell, days, weeks or months she didn't know. The only consistency was the same routine for her meals, breakfast in the morning, dinner midday and tea early evening. There was nothing to see out the small window but the odd person once in a while either just walking across the corridor or delivering meals and water to her. She was bored out of her mind with all the silence, solitude and mystery surrounding her, there was literally nothing she could do but keep her body and mind exercised. However all this continuous routine out of the blue changed on that day when she spotted someone familiar passing her cell, that walk...that presence…

'Kurtis!? He's alive!?' Lara was so shook up by the moment that she couldn't move a muscle for a couple of minutes. Was she hallucinating? No it couldn't be…She saw him die then and there by Sam's bullets…

Flabbergasted and intrigued by this new revelation, Lara had to find out if the impossible was in fact true. Spurred on by this new mystery of whether she was truly losing her mind or this organisation had all of the sudden found out a way of bringing people back to life, Lara began examining the room carefully to see if there was any way to get out. She took note of the bathroom plumbing as a good opportunity to start looking at weak points to break through, but she was soon cut short from the sudden sound of the cell door becoming unlocked. Immediately she jumped back to her bed and looked upon who was entering her prison.

"Ah Lara long time no see, it's good to see you once again." The recognisable happy voice of Dr. Jones echoed the room.

"I'm not sure if I can say the same to you." She scorned at him, changing the mood of his entrance.

"How rude, that's disappointing to hear." He was taken aback for a brief second though it was expected.

"Well if you tell me truthfully what is going on then perhaps I'll start playing nice."

"Now you know I can't explain the whole situation to you just yet, someone else is planning to do that…"

"So knocking me out was all part of this master plan you got in store, what do you people want!?" Lara angrily retorted, rage was fueled in her eyes and Dr. Jones tried to quickly defuse the heated moment.

"Please Lara, let's not fight over this. I can assure you that all of us are aiming to achieve the same goal. Don't forget we've kept you alive for a very good reason, which can easily change if you continue to argue."

'Ah ha now their true nature is starting to come out.' Lara thought, and she decided to change her tone to get more answers out of him. There was one particular question she wanted answering most of all though.

"Then at least tell me this, I saw someone earlier walking by this locked door who wasn't in a lab coat…" Her sentence was swiftly interrupted by laughter from the doctor.

"Haha oh you do have a keen eye don't you Ms Croft. That is a project we are currently working on with surprising results…"

"Ah so you have brought Kurtis back to life!?" She suspected, but Dr. Jones wasn't going to reveal the answer…not yet.

"Who's Kurtis?" He shrugged in confusion. Lara wondered if he was just playing with her mind, or whether it was true...was she hallucinating!?

"You know exactly who that is, you saw him when Hypnos was going through my memories."

"Hmmm, I think you are very much mistaken…anyway enough of this chit chat, let's get onto the reason why I am here."

"Alright so what am I doing locked up here?" Lara was fast to query, but of course he wasn't going to say in that point of time either.

"All will be explained if you follow me Ms. Croft." Dr Jones gestured and with that Lara followed him through the corridor she had previously watched too often in isolation.


	5. An Offer You Can't Refuse

**\- An Offer You Can't Refuse…**

Backed against the wall with nowhere left to go, Kurtis faced an impossible task ahead of him. Demons, everywhere! Panic! Run away would be at the forefront of many, however Kurtis grabbed his Chirugai and with his targets closing in he spoke out to his enemies… "Let's rock!"

The unique five bladed weapon snapped into life and with energy surging through his body, Kurtis threw his Chirugai, knowing exactly which grotesque demons the projectile would hit. All fell at his feet giving out one screech of a cry, as Kurtis reached out to the five holes to retract his dangerous weapon. With the first set of demons out of the way, he didn't have a moment to waste as the next lot of monstrous beings came to haunt his spirit…Vampires. No time like the present, Kurtis moved from where he was cornered to see if there was any way of escaping this area. He equipped his Boran X with a loaded clip at his side, and as he ran the vampires too began hurdling towards his way.

BANG! BANG! BANG! Bullets came flying out of the specialised gun and immediately impacted the bodies of the surreal beings. Knowing there was a slim chance that the gunfire will have a big effect on them, using his mystical powers Kurtis concentrated with all his might and as the group of vampires raged to attack, they were soon met by two huge chunks of wall squashing them altogether.

It was a small victory however, as Kurtis was completely drained from the power he had to summon up to perform that move. On his knees panting, sweating and catching his breath he looked around frantically for an exit from the dark place he was in…Before any more devilish creatures come to greet him again.

"There is no escape for you…" Kurtis sadly read out the writing on the wall and of course his fate. Indeed he looked at every inch of the enclosed area he was in but to no avail was there. It was a place of nightmares, eerie strange voices and whispers filled the void, plus the fact there was a feeling that something could strike you out of the blue at any given moment. Distraught and feeling helpless Kurtis was about to give up all hope of escape…

'Huh! What's going on!?' He exclaimed as everything went pitch black in an instant and all he felt was pain all over his body.

Kurtis slowly awoke from what would have been an eternal sleep and immediately it felt surreal, as if he had been taken forcefully out of this world and midway thrown violently back in. His sapphire blue eyes wandered around looking at the room he was in. The last thing he remembered while being among the living was the impact from the bullet at his own wedding.

"Lara…" Was the first person that came to his mind and he couldn't help but say her name.

"Ah you are finally awake, welcome back from the dead Mr. Trent." An enthusiastic person came over to Kurtis's side. Blurred vision was all he could see, he did his best to make out the man who welcomed him back but all he saw was a white coat…Was he a doctor of some sort or scientist?

"Huh…how do you know…who I am?" Kurtis asked him.

"Through various methods such as DNA testing and matched description from someone you know." The mysterious man answered.

"But the last thing I remember was getting shot…I should be dead."

"Ah well, you have your extraordinary powers of the Lux Veritatis to thank. With that mystical power you possess preserving your body combined with our technologies we have managed to revive you back to life."

"…Incredible." Kurtis was driven speechless when he heard that. Blinding light was then shone onto his eyes and his vision soon cleared after.

"So am I in a hospital? Who are you guys?" Kurtis queried one of his many questions. He noted that he was among a group of what looked more like scientists than doctors.

"Ah all will be revealed to you Mr. Trent, now can you walk?"

"Amazingly yes!" He definitely was taken by surprise from what was nothing short of a miracle.

"Great, now please follow me, oh by the way my name is Dr. Jones."

"Nice to meet you Dr. Jones, sounds like I'm in your debt for saving my life…"

Lara followed the doctor along a series of corridors and finally an elevator to take them to the top floor. The doors opened and up ahead Lara knew she was about the meet the mastermind behind all of this. Until her world came crashing down as she set sights on the man who she believed was long gone…

"Kurtis…" Lara murmured out. Her heart rate had increased the moment she recognised him. She really didn't know what to make of the situation…was this some sort of horrible trick?

"Lara…" He responded…That was all he could say in that moment, as they both stood there in complete disbelief and shock.

"No…It can't be…this is an impostor, I saw you die with my own eyes, right in front of me!" Lara argued however she was soon interrupted by another presence in the room that Lara didn't register when she entered the room. A woman who had a certain aura about her, one that Lara instantly knew she couldn't trust.

"Haha, how wrong you are Ms. Croft, I had hoped this would've been a happy reunion for you both." She calmly said whilst clapping her hands.

"Who might you be then!?" A fuming Lara demanded to know.

"Why I am the reason you are here, if it weren't for me you would be forever gone…in fact I'm also the reason why your fiancé or should I say Mr. Trent was brought back to life from the brink of death." She replied, completely dodging the question. But before Lara could say anything, she moved closer to where Lara was standing, still giving her a darting look and carried on her part of the conversation.

"Anyway I have got a proposition for you, as you can see we have got the technology and backing to perform the near impossible, however we need your help Lara. You could become the heroine of the peoples around the world if you accept our request." Lara didn't know what to say, but she definitely was going to get one point straight across.

"I'm no heroine, I only do what I love which is raiding long-forgotten tombs and uncovering mysteries of the past." She told the unknown lady, who didn't even seem fazed by the reply.

"Hear me out first, this is an offer you can't refuse…" She reassured her in a civil manner. This made Lara ever more curious at what her ambitions were…Was it something to do with what she saw in the Himalayas? Furthermore why did they bring Kurtis, if it really is him back alive…maybe as leverage? Wanting to find out more Lara simply said…

"Okay then, let's hear what you have to say."


	6. Heissturm's Fascinating Theory

**\- Heissturm's Fascinating Theory**

"Have you ever asked yourself what the meaning of life is Ms Croft?" The enigmatic host asked her.

"Of course, no doubt everyone has questioned that at some point in their life." Lara stated, she was confused as to why she was asked that question.

"Indeed there are many theories behind it, and I myself have questioned this many times in my life growing up. I had a strict upbringing during my childhood and adolescence years, however I did learn a lot from this experience, especially from my father who taught me in the ways of the order he followed… There was one man who I wanted to ask that question to and it would have been intriguing to know what he thought about that but alas he is gone… Do I regret not getting a chance of asking him…maybe but life can sometimes throw the unexpected at you. So here's another question for you Lara, if immortality was within your grasp would you take it?"

Taken aback from the two peculiar questions, Lara didn't know what to make of her current situation. She looked over to Kurtis to see if he had anything to say. He stayed quiet though more like he was in a daydream state, even though Lara attempted to get some kind of signal from him.

'Is he planning something?' Lara wondered to herself, until her trail of thought was soon interrupted by the impatience of her questioner.

"I'm waiting for your answer Ms Croft!?" The mysterious woman snapped at her. Lara hastily summed up the desired reply.

"Well to be honest with you if I was offered the opportunity to become immortal I would kindly decline the offer." She truthfully answered, it was obvious that this person in charge was taken aback from that answer.

"Gosh really!? Hmmm interesting, why would you decline it then?" She quizzed her yet again, but Lara already had an answer at the ready.

"Because who says I should have the right to be immortal? Besides I make the most of now and whatever happens inevitably in the future I will face without the need of immortality." A confident Lara told her host. There was silence as the woman deliberated on what she was going to do next, clearly she had taken to heart what Lara had just said but she soon changed the subject.

"Well that's enough questions for you, let me see if I can change your view and reveal what I am aiming for..."

"First tell me, who are you?" Lara demanded to know before any plan from her was given.

"Haha, very well let's see if you can figure it out. I was deeply saddened that I wasn't invited to the wedding between you and Kurtis, even though it ended in disaster anyway." She said with a cunning smile.

"We don't even know who you are!?" Lara blurted out in anger, but the unknown lady managed to remain still.

"I beg to differ, isn't that right brother?" She then darted a glare across to Kurtis whom had a shock look on his face after realising who this person was.

"Huh…Lydia!?" He managed to say her name even though it looked like someone had taken his breath away.

"Yes it's me Kurtis, it has certainly been years since we last saw each other…you haven't aged well…" She remarked but he was still fazed out.

"Kurtis…you never told me you had a sister!" Lara yelled at him and immediately it snapped Kurtis out of his dazed state of mind.

"Lara…I thought she had died along with my father, Konstantin at the hands of Eckhardt!?" He replied with distress in his voice.

"No brother, quite the contrary actually…I assisted in our father's murder by giving the location to the Cabal of his whereabouts at the time!"

Kurtis was rendered speechless from this revelation. He couldn't believe his own sister could do such a thing. What made her become twisted like that! It deeply hurt him to know of this betrayal…

"So the man who you wanted to ask about immortality was Pieter Van Eckhardt." Lara figured out the person Lydia was talking about from before.

"Yes, the man whom had the power of immortality already I yearned for his answer…I had hoped by feeding vital information about the Lux Veritatis to the Cabal so that one day I would be able meet him…however the two of you killed him with the three Periapt Shards before I had a chance…Oh well enough about this, what's past is past and we can't change for what has happened already, however we can change the future."

"What do you mean?" Lara wondered and Lydia chuckled a bit.

"Well let's talk about the proposal I have for you Lara. There was a very good reason I asked those two important questions earlier to you, all life on Earth will soon be on the verge of a new breakthrough. Pain, suffering and sadness will be a feeling in the past, long forgotten and buried, while space exploration and technology will be the forefront of human evolution. We live in changing times and with the experiment that Dr Jones had conducted on you we are in no doubt that you are the key to achieve our goals." Lydia explained, but Lara so far didn't like what she was hearing.

"But you can't just change the course of humanity like that, people will always suffer with those negative feelings, it's just a natural part of life that we all must bear and cope with."

"Oh but I can Lara, how very much mistaken you are! You have seen what we have been able to achieve so far. We have brought both you and Kurtis back from the brink of death and I'd orchestrated this wonderful family reunion here, all from our plans and design. Imagine if we can expand that technology across the world to cure illnesses and bring the dead back to life, there will be no more losses hence no suffering..."

But you are going against the laws of nature, the Earth won't be able to cope with the demand and resources will soon completely run out."

"That's where space exploration comes in, we expand our horizons and move on from this world to the next."

"Well you certainly had time to think long and hard to come up with some fascinating theories." Lara folded her arms, astonished from what she had heard from Kurtis's sister.

"Haha indeed I have, now you love solving puzzles don't you...help us take the next step of discovering our next step of evolution Lara."

Again Lara found herself to be unsure how to respond. She took another glance at Kurtis to get any hint of inspiration from him but his head was facing down, probably due to the sad realisation of the truth behind his father's demise. Even though he was zoned out surely he must have listened to Lydia's explanation to Lara. But how was he going to react once Lara has given her answer...

"...Okay I will." She answered. However Kurtis remained unmoved by it.

"Excellent! We have needed someone of your expertise and talents for quite sometime to undergo this task. You demonstrated that you are very capable, especially in your last adventure in the Himalayas with your close encounters with the extra-terrestrial lifeforms."

"What are you going to do with that information?"

"Ah I wouldn't worry about that for now, we have deployed a special team to the Himalayas who are taking care of that, but for now we need you to do what you do best."

"...Raid a Tomb?"

"Precisely, a Tomb that could hold the knowledge of some vital importance for the success of our dreams...The path to eternal life."


	7. Leaving Everything Behind

**\- Leaving Everything Behind**

Kurtis angrily threw his rucksack on the bed. He had started to grab various things in his bedroom like clothes, personal belongings and was chucking them straight into the bag. This was the last straw, he had enough of living this kind of life and it was time for him to move on…

Yet another heated argument had happened between him and his father, disagreements about Konstantin's paranoia of being hunted down and the continuation of Kurtis's initiation into the Lux Veritatis became too much. It was pointless to reconcile as time and time again they would inevitably end up arguing, and as Kurtis got older the worse it got. In no amount of time the 19 year old managed to pack all of his stuff together and headed straight to the door. Night-time had come around at last, the stars twinkling in the dark atmosphere and the lunar moon shining brightly…it was a perfect opportunity to slip away.

"Where do you think you are going mister?" A young female voice came from behind… Kurtis paused for a second and slowly turned to meet with his younger sister who had a concerned look on her.

"I'm getting outta here sis." He truthfully told her. There was no point in lying to his younger sibling as she would resent him even more if she were to find out the truth eventually.

"Why? Can't you work things out with him?" She emotionally argued, Kurtis could see that she was starting to well up with tears in her eyes. Indeed the two were close, and as much it hurt Kurtis having to leave his sister behind he had made his decision.

"No…he's gone too far this time, I'm leaving for good." He stated with a hint of frustration in his voice. Kurtis certainly didn't hate his father, far from it, however lately he can't bear to be within his presence any longer. Knowing she wouldn't be able to change his mind, Lydia moved the subject on…

"Where would you go to?"

"I've decided to join the foreign legion, use what I've learnt and further my skills out in the field, but also stay incognito to my enemies."

"What about me?"

"What about you?"

"Can't I come with you?"

"Oh Lydia, you can't come with me…your place is here for now and besides how can I take care of you once I join the legion?"

"But I hate it here too! Why should we have to be forced to learn the ways of the order!? I rather be someplace else!"

"You'll get your chance Lydia…soon, but for now I got to go."

"When will I next see you Kurtis?"

"One day...but I can't promise anything."

"Promise me brother, you'll come back to take me away from here."

"Lydia, you know I can't keep that promise..." But Kurtis's sentence was cut off at that moment by her plea.

"Please…"

"Okay, as long as you don't tell father where I've gone. It's best that he not know."

"I won't tell him. Take care of yourself big bro, I'm not going to stop you from going."

"Till we next meet…"

Kurtis turned round and was just about to leave before Lydia thought for a second and stopped him in his tracks.

"Wait before you go, I want to ask you something…"

"What?"

"Have you ever wondered as you look up at the night sky whether we would get the chance to explore what is out there in space?" Lydia asked the otherworldly question to her older brother, and he drew a confused expression.

"Where on earth did that come from sis?"

"I dunno, something that I've just thought of…"

"Hmmm doesn't sound like it to me…" Kurtis replied, easily sensing that his younger sister was lying.

"What do you mean?"

"It sounds like you've been thinking about it for a while, a question like that wouldn't just pop out of anywhere."

"Okay, lately I've been looking up and staring into the sky, wondering what it would be like up there …I know this sounds preposterous but in the future I would like to become an astronaut."

"That's wonderful to hear, keep hold of that dream and one day it might come a reality as long as you chase it."

"What about the Lux Veritatis? Father will be disappointed wouldn't he if he found out that I don't want to follow the order?"

"When the time is right, leave it behind and follow that dream of becoming an astronaut."

"Okay Kurtis, I will."

"Great, now I gotta get out of here before father realizes I'm gone. Take care sis." Even he nearly had a tear in his eye as he said that last sentence.

They hugged for one last time and she stood there watching Kurtis walk off into the distance, wondering when would be the next time she would see him.


	8. Trail Of Death

**\- Trail of Death**

Voyaging deeper underground Lara and Kurtis found themselves gasping for a drink of water. She opened up her backpack to get out a bottle and sat down for a minute on the dusty step.

'Did I make the right choice?' She pondered, thinking about the last meeting between her, Kurtis and the mysterious Lydia and what was said.

Kurtis joined her having been a little too quiet for the latter part of journey, apart from when they were finally left alone for the first time at the entrance of the tomb…unarmed. They had been blindfolded from the very beginning and throughout the whole journey to the tomb so they had no clue where they were. However, the duo was warned of the dangers Lydia's people have encountered in this tomb. Plus, the fact they too were fitted with trackers to make sure they didn't try to escape. With that in mind and no looking back Lara and Kurtis had begun to descend down. That was until halfway when she suddenly stopped him in his tracks.

"Why didn't you tell me about Lydia before?" Lara started as she faced Kurtis face to face with a stern look.

"I told you, I thought she was dead along with my father at the hands of the Cabal!"

"Don't lie to me…"

"I'm not Lara…In all seriousness I don't like digging up the past, I look towards the future."

"Hmmm."

"Please believe me Lara. I am telling you the truth, what advantage would I gain by lying to you?"

"Okay, but I got my eye on you." She warned him, but Kurtis was in disbelief from what he just heard.

"Haha! You're the one who I need to watch, making a deal like that with the person who had a hand in my father's murder."

"Well I need to see how far your sister will go through with this endeavour, how driven she is and what she would do…after all she is responsible for reviving us from near death."

"I see…Sometimes Lara I am amazed even though I've known you for quite a while you still surprise me to this day, I wonder what you're going to try and pull off here?" A suspicious Kurtis questioned her and in response Lara just winked at him.

"You'll see, anyway it's good seeing you back alive Kurtis." She embraced him in a warm hug, having come to the conclusion that he truly is no imposter.

"Same here, I thought I would never see you again my love…You are truly my light in a dark passage." Kurtis lovingly told her and they soon shared a passionate kiss. Emotions certainly were running high, and it wasn't too long when Lara broke off the embrace.

"Anyway, do you remember anything between the time you were shot at our wedding and before you woke up?"

"Not really, all I can recall is this nightmarish dimension that I couldn't seem to get out of. Demons everywhere wanting to torment me. The only thing I could do was fight and I did until it felt like I was pulled out from it and that's when I awoke."

"Hmmm interesting. Speaking of which, why did you stay silent throughout the meeting with Lydia?"

"I was in shock, seriously I couldn't believe that my sister was alive and well, furthermore that she helped the Cabal get my father killed. So I tried to sum up how this was possible…"

"And?"

"Nothing adds up given our situation and how she got to where she is…"

"Okay, let's find out shall we by venturing into this tomb and finding out what's at the end…what Lydia desperately wants so her plan comes into fruition and thus so far hasn't been able to get."

"Let's go."

They continued on down the stairs, awaiting to see any trap that may be hidden get sprung. However instead the further they delved into the tomb there was less light available, and it got to a certain point where it became impossible to see ahead. Fortunately, they each had a torch given to them and the minute they had turn the two lights on an unpleasant sight was laid before their eyes.

"Whoa! Now that I wasn't expecting that yet!" Kurtis said, as two skeletons were dangling on the snared horizontal spike trap. Underneath this execution was a pool of dried blood stained on the ground, to which inspecting the age of the rot it was definitely over a decade old.

"Gosh we better watch our step from now on." Lara summed up, as she stared at the horrific sight of heavy decay on the deceased bodies. The two manoeuvred around the trap that had caught its two victims and they both proceeded forward, ever wary of their surroundings. A few paces later it was Kurtis's turn to stop their progress for a minute.

"Hang on Lara, we shouldn't worry too much about what could up ahead. I will use my far-see power to help us." Kurtis replied. He raised his arms and used his mystical ability in deep trance to view the pathway. This was the first time Lara had seen him like this, and even though it is beneficial for them Lara still found it quite creepy to see him in this state.

Kurtis's summoned energy expanded his mind away from the area they were in and his vision pushed forward. Ahead more spike traps had been sprung by various intruders throughout the years, each one at unsuspecting angles catching its prey…

'What are they trying to hide here?' Kurtis wondered to himself, seeing all the bloodshed and the amount of traps that had been set and already activated was unbelievable. Whatever Lydia was after it certainly did will have some important significance to what she's planning. He moved on through the terrible path of the fallen and it wasn't long until he hit a dead end.

'Blast!' Kurtis cursed under his breath as he tried to muster more strength in his ability to overcome the obstacle. Alas he couldn't do it and soon he snapped out of the trance. Along with a stumble back he took a few deep breaths to regain some energy, whilst Lara came over to help him stay steady.

"What did you see?" She asked once Kurtis was back on his feet.

"Well I must say those that came before us have more or less cleared the traps. But we still got to be wary." Kurtis informed her. Lara took that on-board and wanted to ask him another question.

"Does it hurt when you conjure up that power?"

"Yeah all of the time. I thought it might get easier as I get older and the more I tapped into it, but it certainly doesn't. Anyway let's see what vicious traps lie waiting for us that we can set off!"

Advancing through the many twists and turns of the dugout underground path whilst doing their best to avoid contact with the fallen bodies and spikes, Lara and Kurtis pressed on. Not only that but they started to come across sincere warnings that were beginning to be marked on the uneven walls. In a mixture of crimson red and harsh scratches, the words of "It's a trap!", "Get out while you still can!" and "It's not worth the sacrifice!" were awfully stained on both sides of the trail. Having been a bit shaken by what they have seen so far, Lara and Kurtis were almost at the dead end he saw in his vision until… _Click!_

"What was that!?" Lara exclaimed, frantically looking around to see what had been activated. A confused Kurtis looked puzzled at her, till all at once it happened…

"Duck!" She shouted at Kurtis, and immediately the duo dived to the ground.

A large wooden trunk with a blade came swinging out from above and had they not ducked the duo would have suffered the same fate as those before them.

"Now that was a close one, some good ears you got there Lara!" He smiled complimenting her.

"Ha, it's a little thing I like to call instinct." She jokingly replied whilst sticking her tongue out at Kurtis.

They moved on from the trap and got to the dead end. The words "Prepare for Death" were grimly written on the wall.

"Hmmm, there's more to this than meets the eye." Lara summed up, knowing in her heart that it surely wasn't the end of this tunnel.

The duo examined the area and brushed aside all of the dust that had settled around the wall. It soon revealed to Kurtis a strange carving on the right side which looked to be in the shape of a hand. Perhaps a switch!

"Lara over here, I've found something." Kurtis called as she hastily came over.

"What is it?"

"Some sort of carving on the wall, could be something important?" They looked at each other for that moment, undecided and hoping it wasn't another trap.

"I guess there's only one way to find out." Lara said as she placed her hand upon the moulding…but nothing happened in response.

"Here let me try." Kurtis advised. As soon as his palm touched the inner mould this triggered a series of events. Gears and pulleys began to miraculously come to life as the system pulled up what looked like a wall was actually a hidden barrier.

"Fascinating…"

"Indeed, there's got to be some sort of link with your heritage and this tomb…"

"Hmmm possibly, let's go inside."

With the barrier now fully opened the pathway led into a large underground dungeon arena. Medieval was the theme as chains, ancient entrapments and the prison cells were the main feature in this eerie room. Suddenly Lara and Kurtis found themselves not talking to each other anymore…They were purely shocked by the appalling sight. With the acknowledgement that nothing useful would be there, they instead tried to find a way to get out of this sickening arena sooner rather than later. Lucky there was some stairs leading further downwards to the left side of the chamber and on the double Kurtis and Lara headed there.

Having sat at the dusty step for a time in silence, just drinking the water Lara got out without saying a word, she decided it was time to break the quietness.

"So far all we have seen is a massacre of death…I'm not liking this at all…"

"Me neither, but what choice do we have?" Kurtis shrugged and Lara agreed with him.

"Hmmm true, but I wonder what Lydia expects to find here."

"Obviously something she needs to help her plan to succeed."

"Do you think she will let us go once we find what she's after?"

"I doubt it. She'll probably force us to witness her moment in triumph."

"Yeah I can see that happening…"

They finished off the bottle of water between them, and Kurtis was the first to get up from the step. He took a deep breath in and turned to Lara reaching out his hand to her.

"Come on Lara, let's get this over with." He announced and Lara grabbed his hand in return to raise herself up from the step.


	9. Tomb Of The Light Of Truth's Treasure

**\- Tomb of the Light of Truth's Locked Treasure**

The two adventurers made their way further down the ancient stairs, ever wary of any trap that could be set in place ready to take them by surprise. Fortunately, this wasn't the case and soon the stairway led them to an area which opened up massively. An impressive dome ceiling had managed to hold up the weight of the earth from above, along with it being supported by a series of pillars at either side. Up ahead was a linear stone bridge connected to a small circular platform that was surrounded by a lake which seemed to be deep in depth.

Upon the foundation of the platform was a small building, no doubt this is the tomb that contains what Lydia wants. The duo cautiously walked across the bridge, getting closer to the peculiar structure. They reached the doorway and took a moment to examine in awe what they were facing. Decorated with a mix of beautiful art and unreadable calligraphy around the entrance, the building was incredibly immaculate given the possible age of it.

"Shall we ring the bell to see whose home?" Kurtis teasingly suggested to Lara, she chuckled in response.

"Don't see a switch for the bell, so I think some brute force is needed here." She summed up quickly and then pushed the door.

THUD!

'Predictable…Locked.' Lara thought, as she not only spotted the keyhole to unlock the door but a strange symbol above the hole.

"Kurtis, take a look at this." She called for his attention. It only took a second's inspection until he let out a gasp in disbelief.

"What is it Kurtis!?" Lara asked in wonderment. She didn't know whether this could be good news or bad if Kurtis knew what they were dealing with.

"This symbol…It's the Lux Veritatis insignia."

"So this means whatever we find in here is linked with yours and Lydia's heritage."

"Yeah, I wonder what they wanted to hide down here…It's definitely something of significance with all of the sprung traps from before." Kurtis assumed, and Lara agreed to his theory.

"Can you use your power to see what is inside or even blast the doors wide open?"

"I'll give it a go." He nodded at her and got into position in front of the locked door. He first gathered up the energy to perform his far-see ability and raised his arms. His vision once again expanded beyond his body and he was one with the zone they were presently in. He could see everything within the dome, all apart from the interior of the decorated building.

Concentrating and focusing the mustered energy he obtained, Kurtis aimed it all at overcoming the mystic barrier that seems to be surrounding the structure. Despite his best efforts the Lux Veritatis warrior still couldn't get pass this strange obstruction. Furthermore, he started to feel his power draining away. He decided then and there to change tactic and with his remaining energy he directed it straight at the door with all his might in an attempt to blow it down.

Observing this, Lara could do nothing except encourage and will him on through his struggle. The pain began to become unbearable for the ex-legionnaire, and it wasn't long until he was unexpectedly flung backwards…almost as if his power had been reflected right back at him by this unknown barrier.

"Gosh Kurtis! Are you alright!?" Lara rushed over to his side and brought him up from the ground.

"Ow! That hurt!" Was Kurtis's response after that terrible moment. He had a little nosebleed and his blue sapphire eyes had become bloodshot from the aftereffect, but Kurtis was okay to Lara's satisfaction.

"That could've ended up a lot worse, what happened there!?"

"There seems to be some sort of shield protecting the building from my powers, I cannot penetrate it at all." Kurtis explained, and Lara knew there was no other choice.

"Looks like we will have to do this the old fashioned way…Find that key."

"Yeah, but where could it be?"

"Exactly, who knows how far and wide they would've hidden it!" Lara said in dismay.

"Unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Well there must be a reason behind all this water." Kurtis smiled at Lara's direction and pointed down at the ground.

"You must be kidding!" She couldn't believe they would make it that easy getting the key.

"It's just an inkling, but I suppose we got to start somewhere."

"Hmmm…true."

"Great, enjoy your swim!" He grinned at her.

"Wait what!?" Lara was quite shocked by what he had just said.

"Haha, it's your turn to take the plunge into dangerous territory. Don't worry I'll be here should you need me but I doubt you will." He cheekily said.

"Grrr…This isn't a game!" Lara tried to sound serious, but couldn't help appreciate Kurtis trying to make the situation more fun.

"Oh but it is a game my love, and I dare you to go and get this key."

"Fine! But revenge will be mine." Lara promised him and he just laughed.

"I'll hold you to that Lara." Kurtis replied, as Lara prepared herself for the dive into the deep waters.

She took a deep breath and performed an elegant dive into the lake. Having taken off her tank top and shorts it made the dive more effective plus easier for Lara to swim deeper. Initially her body was shivering from the coldness of the pool. Fortunately, in a short matter of time it soon adapted to the temperature…However that was the least of the tomb raider's worries as underwater all she could see was pitch black.

'A light would be very handy at the moment.' Lara wished, knowing all too well that the torches they were given weren't waterproof. Nevertheless, she had to make do and she carried on swimming deeper through the darkness. Half a minute had gone and still she was trying to reach the bottom of the lake.

'How long left I wonder?' Even though Lara was good at holding her breath for certain lengths of time, even she had her limits and it was starting to creep in her mind…

'What if I don't make it and drown here!'

Her fingers suddenly felt the many pebbles sitting upon the ground and this was a good sign. Now was the matter of finding that key and fast! Lara changed her position, searching desperately along the flat lakebed. Every second counted in this crucial situation, until…

'Ah ha! Gotcha!' A relived Lady Croft sighed, as she touched the metal material of the dormant key.

On the double Lara kicked the ground to gain momentum for her swim up. Close to running out of oxygen and feeling like her lungs were screaming for air, the adventurer frantically moved her fatigued arms and legs in a rush to the surface…

'I'm gonna make it!' Lara kept repeating that same passage over and over again…Then at last there was light.

"Ahhh air!" Lara happily shouted out as she kept herself afloat above the water.

"Alright there Lara? You were down there for a while…All I could see were these bubbles that were rising to the top!"

"Yeah just catching my breath here!"

"Well when you're ready come over here and I'll hoist you out of there." Kurtis offered to her.

Once she did regain her strength, Lara swam over to where he was standing. She reached out for his hand and he gently lifted her out of the cold lake. Being in close proximity to each other in that moment of time, Kurtis couldn't help but lean towards Lara's lips and lock his lips together with hers. There was something about her that he never felt towards another person, within her company he always had felt this nice warm fuzzy feeling inside…as if that was the definition of what love feels like towards another. He certainly didn't want that feeling to end, and wanted to express it to Lara through that kiss.

Taken aback by this sudden wave of passion from Kurtis, for a second Lara wondered what he was up to, but it was soon dismissed as she too expressed her love for him through the action. They forgot everything around them, the murky atmosphere of the tomb had turned into a pleasant tender moment between a man and a woman.

"Oh…The key!" Lara just remembered and as much as she didn't want to break the sweet embrace.

"So you managed to find it?" Kurtis cheerfully asked, even though their lovely moment in each other's arms abruptly came to an end.

"I certainly did, right at the bottom of that dreaded lake."

"Hmmm, I wonder how it got there?"

"Perhaps we'll find out more when we unlock that door."

"True, let's go."

Once Lara had put her tank top and shorts back on, the couple went over to the mysteriously protected door and she presented the key to Kurtis.

"Would you like to do the honours Kurtis, this after all is linked with the Lux Veritatis."

"Gladly Lara, thank you." Kurtis smiled at her as he took the key and inserted it into place. He turned the key slowly, just to make sure it wasn't another trap. The Lux Veritatis Insignia started to glow brightly, acknowledging the fact the door had been successfully unlocked. Kurtis pushed the door open and what they saw inside was nothing short of spectacular.

"…Wow!"


	10. The Neutron Star Artefact

**\- The Neutron Star Artefact**

Both Lara and Kurtis gasped in awe at what they had stumbled across. Inside was a simple room however seeing the state of it told a story. Skeletons filled the area, every one of them had been equipped with a weapon of some sort whether it had been sword or spear and all of them wore rusted armour, noticeably some had a different shade of colour compared to others.

"It looks like a battle had taken place here long ago…but what for?" Kurtis observed and Lara was quick to answer.

"For that up there!" She pointed up past some stairs that led to a pedestal above. Upon it was something which was shining in tremendous pure light.

"Let's take a closer look." Kurtis said and the duo got onto the steps, getting ever nearer to the blinding light.

Whatever it was it as a thing of glory, and as they reached the same level as the pedestal it took a couple of seconds to realize the shape of this glorious object. It was an orb, but not like an ordinary one, this particular one had something moving inside that was giving off this bright light. But before Lara or Kurtis could say anything to each other, they were interrupted by a familiar voice from below.

"Go on touch it! I dare you!" Lydia shouted, egging them on to do it. Immediately the two adventurers swung their attention towards their new arrival.

"Lydia! What is this orb!?" Lara questioned, wanting to know the truth of what she was dastardly planning.

"Humph, very well I shall explain. It is an alien power which will grant humanity the thing we most desire… Immortality. The power inside is what we need, the orb itself is useless as only one person can hold it. But combine this power with our technologies and we can benefit those who are worthy!"

"Wait a minute…those who are worthy?" Kurtis caught on to the end of her sentence. He worryingly thought that this had the ability to kill people

"Yes you heard right, there is a very good reason why this orb has been sealed away since it was discovered long ago. Centuries ago this precious artefact had been used for both good and evil intentions by various people, ranging from power-hungry tyrants to good Samaritans until eventually it fell into the hands of the alchemist Pieter Van Eckhardt."

"Let me guess, Eckhardt managed to obtain immortality with the orb?" Lara assumed, things were beginning to add up as Lydia carried on her explanation.

"You guess right Lara. With the time he had with it he'd managed to harness some of the orb's potential, mainly gaining the power of eternal life without having to hold the orb in his possession. I know one of his beneficial reasons for doing this was so he could have the time and dedicate most of his life to reviving the Nephilim race. Unfortunately for him the Light of Truth also known as the Lux Veritatis had caught up with Eckhardt and the Cabal's activities and got him imprisoned in Castle Krieger. They took away his research and items including the orb which they deemed too dangerous to let go. Word got around about Eckhardt's imprisonment and certain groups at the time knew he previously possessed this special orb. They pursued the Lux Veritatis causing many battles throughout the years until the penultimate one happened right here.

As you can see the Lux Veritatis prevailed and with no more enemies after the orb they decided to make this it's final sanctuary, setting many traps and disguising it as a medieval dungeon above so none at the time would be the wiser."

"So how did you come to discover its location?" Lara inquired in this eerie situation.

"Why the Lux Veritatis archives of course. Once father was removed from the equation thanks to the Cabal I was free to access them…He was an obstacle in the way of my ambition, haha!" Lydia so devilishly told the duo.

In reaction Kurtis clenched his fist tightly in anger. He was ready to avenge his father's death then and there, however Lara noticed this and placed her hand on his arm to stop him in his tracks.

'What are you doing Lara!?' Kurtis thought as he gritted his teeth. His sister now the enemy was standing before them unarmed and this was the perfect opportunity to end this charade here and now. However, he soon realised that she was stopping him from doing anything rash and sudden that he could regret later on.

"What makes this orb dangerous then?" Lara's next question came out and Lydia smiled at her.

"Glad you asked that and to be honest I don't fully know the extent of danger it may bring… What I do know is what I've read in the archive records about how the power of this orb effects different people who come into contact with it. As you probably have guessed, there is a living thing inside it…Do you know what it is?"

"Nope, but whatever it is it is something not of this planet…" Lara summed up.

"It is a fragment of a Neutron Star." Lydia answered.

"Impossible!"

"When are you gonna learn nothing is impossible!"

Lara and Kurtis couldn't believe it, all that power and energy of a star contained in a crystal orb…They didn't know what to believe at that point. Lydia carried on from her previous explanation.

"For the one positive thing it has brought so far, it has also had some adverse effects on those who touch it. From pain and suffering to instant death, this star has cursed many throughout history and only a few at the time had lived with the benefits of it."

At this point Lara had heard enough to know that the orb had to be destroyed. Lydia's plans must not come to fruition for the sake of all living beings on Earth. But how were they going to destroy a fragment of a star? There certainly was nothing man-made that would obliterate it. The only way this was going to work out was to stop the driven Lydia. Alas it was a little too late as her reinforcements had arrived.

"Ah right on cue, seize them and the orb. Be very careful not to touch it." Lydia commanded and straight away they had got hold of both Lara and Kurtis albeit with a little struggle and proceeded to bring them down with the now covered orb. One of Lydia's minion's then gave the orb to her which she obsessively stared at it.

"You're going to kill millions Lydia, don't go ahead with this ridiculous plan…" Kurtis tried one last time to reason with his sister but was immediately dismissed.

"Sacrifices have to be made for the evolution of humanity. Don't mistake me for a villain for I am not. I will be at the helm, the person who is responsible for humanity's next big phenomenon. I will become the heroine who will go down in history for being the person who spearheaded our evolution to outer space…Remember those famous words said by Neil Armstrong… 'It is one small step for man…One giant leap for mankind.' I will take that giant leap for mankind." Lydia proudly told the duo.

Lara knew it was pointless to argue as Lydia was too far driven with her delusional dream. She instead began to formulate a plan to escape and once they were close to outside she would give a signal to Kurtis. There was one more thing Lara wanted to ask…

"What do you plan to do with us?"

"You'll be driven back to base along with the orb where you will be experimented upon. Think of it as a thank you from me for helping get this crucial object." Lydia so sinisterly said, but Lara just shrugged it off as she was determined to escape.


	11. Escape From Captivity

**\- Escape from Captivity**

Déjà vu sprung to mind as Kurtis and Lara were aggressively led to the exit of the complex by Lydia's backup. During this time Lara was putting her plan of breaking free into motion. No doubt there will be vehicles near the entrance waiting to be hot-wired, it was just the matter of overcoming these four guards that had hold of them. Luckily enough the duo wasn't cuffed which was a bit of an oversight on their part but Lara was not complaining as it would make their attempt at escaping that much easier. As long as Kurtis would guess at what she was going to do then it should be alright.

'Perhaps a wink or a nod at him would give the message of follow my lead or something along those lines.' Lara thought as she looked over at his direction. He had a look of defeat about him, his head tilted down and expression all negative. She had to do something to change that…

"Kurtis!" Lara called across to him.

"Quiet! Otherwise this could go much worse for you!" A deep male voice from behind warned. Fortunately, Kurtis did look up at Lara and she managed to give him a reassuring wink before she got told off.

Kurtis's mood seemed to have lifted since and not only was Lara pleased to see this, but knew whatever the case he would have her back. Getting closer to the entrance of the underground cave, Lara decided this was the best time to make her plan turn into reality. With Lydia far behind and just four of them to take on, she made her strike…

"ARGH!" One of the henchmen squealed out as Lara stomped on his foot hard. Meanwhile Kurtis head-butted the person behind him which in turn allowed his arms to be free and he punched the second henchman next to him in the stomach. In a matter of a few seconds the couple managed to knock out the four that was supposed to escort them out cold. They all laid there unconscious.

"Phew! All in a day's work." Kurtis quipped as he rubbed his knuckles.

"Indeed, come on let's get out of here and find some transport." Lara said and without any hesitation the newly free couple headed towards the sunlight exit.

The rays of sunshine immediately hit them as the duo snuck out of the cave opening. With caution they crawled over to a nearby boulder and hid behind it out of sight. Safe for now but time was of the essence, so Kurtis and Lara observed their surroundings. It looked like what was previously a wasteland had been turned into a military camp. Tents, spotlights, lamps and remains of campfires were all set up in the perimeter of the place. Cars, vans and quad bikes were parked ahead, however to get to them was going to be tricky. As expected some of Lydia's patrol were there also waiting for their return from underground.

"They're dotted around the place…Looks like we'll have to split up, I'll take care some of these goons." Kurtis announced, as Lara planned her path to the vehicles.

"Okay, I'll find us a ride out of here, just be careful Kurtis." She then planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Let's go."

The couple went their separate ways, with Kurtis infiltrating one of the tents on the left side whilst Lara went over to the green vegetation that was miraculously growing on the land to conceal herself. When the opportunity presented itself as patrol looked the other way, the tomb raider made her move and dashed across to the parking area. Simultaneously, Kurtis laid low for a bit as one of Lydia's henchman was within the tent checking over some documents. The Demon Hunter waited in the shadows for the henchman to face away from where he was, then finally the moment came. Kurtis swiftly got him in a sleeper hold gaining the advantage and after trying to get out of the hold the man eventually passed out.

"Great one down, five to go." Kurtis cheered himself in his hunt, he was about to move onto his next target but the recognisable voice of Lydia was heard…

"They've escaped! I want them found now! Dead or alive it doesn't matter as long as they don't leave here!" She ordered her patrol in rage.

"Yes ma'am! I want you and you over there!" A team leader barked out ready for his team to search around.

'Blast! Oh well that's my cue to meet up with Lara.' Kurtis summed up as he went through the back of the tent and sprinted to the parked cars.

"There!" Someone shouted, catching a glimpse of the Lux Veritatis warrior.

"What are you waiting for, fire you fools!" The leader shouted at his comrades. A spray of gunfire came out of their weapons but by then it was too late…

"Over here Kurtis! Jump on!" Lara screamed to him as she revved the quad bike engine. Kurtis acknowledged this and straight away he climbed onto the back of the quad bike. As soon as Kurtis got on Lara wasted no time a hammering that accelerator to speed off into the distance.

"After them!" Lydia exclaimed from behind, and not long after the other cars roared into life as her goons got ready to give chase. The miles went passing by as Lara and Kurtis got further away from the site. However, closing in on their tail were Lydia's henchmen ready to acquire both targets.

"I like your style!" Kurtis commended the archaeologist for her choice in vehicle.

"Why thank you, the quad bike has some advantages that we'll no doubt use." Lara theorised as she continued to drive. Kurtis took a peek behind to see how far the goons were to them…

"Lara! They're gaining on us. We need a change of direction…Here, take the main road!" He advised and soon after Lara swerved the handles sharply left going uphill then onto the long stretch of road. Signposts started to appear alongside the gravel surface and reading them Lara could guess where they were.

"I recognise that language…Kurtis we're in Brazil and it looks like we're getting close to Rio de Janeiro!"

"That's good news, we'll lose them in the traffic."

There was still some distance to go and by the time they reached the outskirts of the city Lydia's party had caught up with them.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Bullets came flying and began hitting the back of the quad bike. Lara did her best to dodge the oncoming fire and there were certainly some close fatal shots that just missed. At last traffic started to build up and Lara took the situation in her stride. Manoeuvring in and out of the rush hour traffic the tomb raider managed to widen the gap between them and their pursuers until they lost them altogether.

"Looks like they're long gone Lara, we can relax for a bit." Kurtis breathed a sigh of relief. They were now in the heart of the metropolis.

"Excellent, now time to find a phone and get into contact with an old friend."


	12. Lara's Home

**\- Lara's Home**

The first few steps Lara took at her manor was a very strange experience indeed. It felt like a lifetime had passed since she was last there even though it had only been a year. Looking around everything had been packed up as she was presumed dead after her previous adventure in the Himalayas. The familiar warm face of Winston greeted them and he came over to give Lara a big hug.

"So good to see you again milady, thank goodness you're alright and well!" An enthusiastic Winston said to her.

"It's great to see you too Winston, I've missed you loads!" Lara emotionally said as she wrapped her arms gently around him. The kind embrace between the two friends soon came to an end and Winston turned his attention to Kurtis.

"Well, what's happened to you is nothing short of a miracle, I never thought I would see you back from the dead…Are you sure you're not a zombie!?" Winston joked whilst studying Kurtis's person.

"Nothing's fallen off yet nor am I hungry for brains…yet!" Kurtis replied to Winston's cheek with a smile.

"Haha good to hear, anyway it is fantastic to see you alive Kurtis!" Winston happily said as the pair shook hands.

"Please take a seat at the dining table, I've just made the final touches on dinner anticipating your arrival."

"Wonderful thanks Winston, we'll explain what's going on." Kurtis said. At the moment Lara remembered Ayesha and wondered what she was doing.

"Any word from Ayesha?"

"Ah yes, I've let her know of your return. Oh you should have heard her response! She was so excited to hear the news after trying to search for you for months. She said she'll be here at some point tomorrow."

"Great, thank you Winston."

"You're welcome, now let's eat."

Over the course of dinner both Lara and Kurtis told the story of what has happened thus far… Lara shared her side of events, mainly her venture into the mountain encountering the extra-terrestrial beings, surviving their terrible traps, the battle with the dragon and Sam's unfortunate death. Winston listened very closely, sometimes he would gasp or be shocked by certain things that have been said. Lara finished off her side of the story by telling of how she was rescued by this mysterious organisation who not only rehabilitated her but also submitted her to a weird memory machine known as Hypnos. After Kurtis took over and explained his side of events, from the reunion with his twisted sister to finding a lost Lux Veritatis tomb with a special artefact that could be a threat to all life on the planet.

"Gosh, sounds like you both have been through a lot…" Winston concluded.

"Indeed we have, but it's not over yet…"

"What would you do next?" Winston asked them both that very important question. Lara and Kurtis just stared at each other for about a minute, waiting to see which one had an idea…Nothing until Lara broke the silence.

"Winston, is the gym equipment still out?"

"Yes, your gym room is exactly the same as you left it."

"Cool, we'll help with the washing up and I'll try and think of something while I'm working out." Lara decided, knowing it will allow her time to think and clear her mind.

"Does your gym come with a swimming pool?" Kurtis queried to the two.

"Yes." They said together.

"Nice, I fancy a dip in the pool." He cheerfully said and the trio went ahead to start the dishes.

…

'Now she has the orb in her possession what would Lydia do next?' Lara questioned herself as she went through her normal vigorous gym routine. At the moment she was swinging on the monkey bars while Kurtis did some lengths in the pool down below. Moving onto the rock climbing section, the female adventurer rewound her mind back to when she was in the Hypnos machine…

'There was a reason as to why I in particular was subjected to the contraption.' Lara began to remember their astonishment as they witnessed her close encounters with other lifeforms not of this Earth…

'That's it!' She now knew where Lydia was headed next. But one question remained for her…

'Who or what was Project V?' This was the unit they'd sent out to the Himalayas after discovering the location of the seven from Lara. One final sprint at the finishing line of her session, she then went over to Kurtis to let him know where they were heading tomorrow.

"The Himalayas you say?" Kurtis repeated.

"Yeah I'm sure we'll find your sister there seeking out the seven aliens."

"Hmm good point, no doubt they will know the capabilities and secrets of the orb more than anyone else…Plus the fact researching the thing may take years."

"Exactly, it's as if you read my mind!" Lara couldn't help but punch him lightly.

"Sorry Miss know-it-all, anyway we better rest up before our trip there."

"Yeah, let's retire from here."

While the couple were doing their exercises, Winston had prepared the master bedroom for them. After a steamy shower, Lara and Kurtis wished Winston a good night and went off to bed. They cuddled each other and soon drifted off to sleep. It had just gone midnight and a small draft from the window had woken Lara up. Slowly she lifted Kurtis's arm from her body without waking him up and she went over to close the glass pane. Knowing all too well that she won't easily go back to sleep, the tomb raider decided to wander across to the other side of her home to see her study and library.

The vast impressive collection of books and manuscripts were still present and all still well preserved in order among within the bookshelves in the room. Lara began to scan through for a book she could delve into and lose herself in.

'Ah ha! This one will do.' She picked out her book and walked over to the desk near the corner. With the lighting in the room dimmed, Lara opened the book upon the surface and started to read the text written on the pages. The book in question that she chose was about Greek mythology, and it definitely was a favourite topic for her to explore. That word Hypnos had sparked this reinvigorating interest, however it wasn't long until tiredness had overcome her, and slowly but surely Lara began to close her eyes. With her head rested on the pages of the book, the archaeologist fell straight to sleep once again.

Now deep within a dream that started to take shape, Lara strangely saw herself standing in the mist of Ancient Greece. The town she was in was full of people going about their daily business, they didn't even spot the new arrival of Lara in the town's square.

"Hello!" She called out seeing if she would get a response from anyone but no one answered…She was completely invisible to them. With that in mind Lara took this opportunity to explore the area.

Market stalls were set up all around, marketers trying to entice people to buy their items which mainly consisted of food or ornaments that were on sale. The architecture of the buildings and pillars were astonishing, but before Lara could examine and awe at the site she was at what occurred next was quite unexpected in this situation. Everything turned to darkness…almost to the effect of someone turning off the lights. Then in a heartbeat a beast introduced itself with a roar.

"THERE YOU ARE!" The monster growled seeing his target with it's one eye as it pointed its overgrown nail towards Lara's direction. Unarmed, all Lara could do was run away from the threat.

Within a matter of seconds, it became more apparent that the creature was only after Lara. It seemed that no one else in the realm had notice the monster's existence at all! The tremendous stomps made by the cyclops resulted in the ground shaking, thus causing Lara to trip up and fall onto the stone ground.

"Ooof!" She blurted out as she felt the cracks appearing right underneath her body. Worried that she was going to fall into one of these, this was soon dashed by the feeling of being lifted up.

"HAHA! IN MY POWER!" The creature spurted out as it got hold of Lara and gave her an evil stare. Then in a matter of a second she was engulfed in darkness and swallowed into the belly of the cyclops beast.

Currently being guided through the gloomy underworld, Lara found herself surrounded by various monsters and ghouls that arose from the pool of the dead trying to bring her down to their level. Their attempts failed along the way, although now the tomb raider was face-to-face with a bigger threat at the gates of doom. A great snarl echoed the hollow cave as the three headed Cerberus caught sight of their new target, and got ready their razor sharp jaws to tear apart the victim. Six red eyes watched Lara as she stood there with no weapon in hand to help defeat what was in front of her. Just as Cerberus swooped down and each mouth opened ready to crunch her, all in a flash Lara awoke from her nightmare.

'Phew! What was that all about!?' Lara thought to herself in shock and surprise, as she rose her head from the book. Looking out to the window it was still dark, so she decided to put the book back in its place and retired to her bedroom…ever wondering what she was going to face tomorrow.


	13. Return To The Himalayas

**\- Return to the Himalayas**

The sun rose signalling morning at the manor and almost immediately the front door had been flung wide open from their new arrival.

"Right, where is she!?" The sudden announcement of Ayesha's voice filled the hallway. She couldn't contain her excitement of seeing her friends after what felt like an eternity.

"And a good morning to you too Ayesha." Winston greeted her by the door.

"Hehe whoops! Sorry about that Winston, I still can't believe she's back along with Kurtis too!"

"Neither can I." He happily smiled.

"So where are they?" She asked frantically.

"Just getting themselves ready for breakfast which I'm currently preparing."

"Awesome, I'll be your sous-chef while we wait for them to come down." Ayesha said and they made their way to the kitchen. Later on Lara and Kurtis made an appearance by the kitchen opening as Ayesha and Winston were preparing a fruit salad.

"Ayesha!" Lara gladly called out to her friend.

"There you are!" Ayesha ran over to embrace her old mate.

"I've missed you loads." Lara told her.

"Same here, been looking for you around those mountains but to no avail, what on earth happened to you?"

"Long story, I'll explain over breakfast."

"Okay, and I haven't forgotten you Mr. Trent, come here!" Ayesha squeezed Kurtis tightly in her hug.

"Good to see you again Ayesha!"

"Haha, it's like one happy family reunion. Right breakfast is ready, hope you're all hungry!" Winston quipped.

Within a minute they made their way to the table and it was a lovely atmosphere to be in. Breakfast was delicious and in that time Lara explained what happened to her after the avalanche had hit.

"So yes we have unfinished business with Lydia, whom has a strange desire to unwittingly destroy life on Earth." Lara finished off her story, and Ayesha was straight on the ball on what they were going to do next.

"So let me guess, Lydia has gone to the Himalayas to consult with these seven extra-terrestrials about the orb and you're planning to go over there to stop her?"

"Wow yeah you basically summed up our situation right there." Kurtis chuckled at her good guess.

"Well you can count me in!"

"Awesome, the more the merrier, what do you say Lara?"

"Why not, thanks Ayesha…Now let's get prepared and ready to go!" The tomb raider announced as the three adventurers obtained and equipped the gear they needed for the trek.

….

A chilly breeze blew by the trio as they began their ascension up the snowy mountain. It was a difficult and tense situation, but they were spurred on by their crucial aim of stopping Lydia's hideous plans for the world.

"We have to go further up than this!" Lara shouted across to the small team. They had hit a dead-end at the mountainside and as Lara tried to retrace her steps to the hideout, she remembered it being higher than they currently were at.

Individually, the three grabbed hold of their pick axes and started to climb upon the ice wall that had formed on the rock. Despite the gusty cold winds Lara, Kurtis and Ayesha had made good progress on their trail up…

"Whoa!" Kurtis exclaimed as he terrifyingly lost grip on his right hand and was now dangling from the handle of his axe.

"Everything alright down there!?" Ayesha called down as she was ahead from the rest.

"Hang on!" Kurtis shouted back as he gathered all his strength and reached for his second climbing axe.

"Almost there." He whispered to himself and the palm of his right hand caught the wrapped grip material of the pick.

"Yep everything's fine now!" Kurtis reassuringly called out.

"That was a close call." Lara said to him in a serious tone.

"Nah, I had everything under control." Kurtis grinned at her.

"Oh really!?" Lara gave him a darting scary stare which initially surprised Kurtis, until she stuck her tongue at him in banter.

"Look we're nearly at the top, come on!" Ayesha spurred the couple on as all of them eventually reached their destination.

"Phew! That was tough, but fun!" Ayesha joyfully said, Kurtis looked like he was going to throw up.

"No…never again, I knew I wasn't a fan of mountain climbing!" Kurtis negativity admitted.

"What! You're not telling me that a warrior of your calibre can't take a little rock climbing, haha!" Ayesha teased him, while he still looked glum.

"I hated every minute of it, I almost fell!" Kurtis argued but Ayesha was having none of his excuses.

"But it's part of the trill!" She told him, and it was at that moment they realised Lara hadn't had her say on the matter. She was too quiet…

"Lara?" Kurtis called her name as she just stood on the platform they were on in silence.

Memories came flooding back to her as this was the area when she encountered Sam before seeing the seven mysterious beings. Doing her best to hold back the tears after losing her friend to the wrath of the dragon that was summoned by the seven to kill them both. There was a saying that Lara kept on repeating in her mind…

"Don't dwell in the past, you cannot change the past, live for the future instead." Lara soon snapped out of her mourning as Ayesha and Kurtis went towards her side.

"Sweetheart, you okay?" Kurtis caringly asked his lover.

"Hmmm…Oh yeah, sorry just had a moment to myself, I'm fine." Lara replied, assuring them nothing was wrong.

"You sure? You know you can talk to us about it if you want?" Ayesha offered.

"Nah I'm good, but thanks though…"

Just then an otherworldly frightening noise was closing in on them.

"What is that!?"


	14. Necrosis

**\- Necrosis**

The oncoming blizzard made it more difficult to see what was coming, but whatever it was it approached the trio fast as the noise emitted from them was getting louder. Not wanting to take any chances Lara, Kurtis and Ayesha drew out their favourite weapons and aimed them straight ahead. Five individual outlines emerged from the rain of snow, all were moving erratically towards the trio until at last their visage was shown.

"Oh my gosh!" The three of them were rendered speechless at the mere sight of them. It was a vision of horrific nightmares, as they were literally going to battle the living dead.

"This must be the Project V unit the organisation deployed here…" Lara informed the group as the supernatural five drew nearer. Their non-blinking black eyes staring at the targets ready to strike the down. No time like the present, the party began firing their chosen weapons upon the grotesque decaying bodies of the five. Instantly the enemies felt the effect of the bullets, however it seemed like they were absorbing them like a sponge. Since they weren't armed the five got into their combat stances and began to run at Lara, Kurtis and Ayesha.

"Move!" Kurtis exclaimed as all three managed to dodge their oncoming attack. The platform had become a battleground. Within a few short minutes a dozen bullets had been shot, but had little to no impact on the monstrous beings.

"What are these things!?" Ayesha screamed in confusion and disbelief.

"Results of Lydia's experiments…I'm sure of it!" Lara responded.

"Well whatever we're doing it's not working and it's not like we have unlimited clips here!" Ayesha harshly said, but she did speak the truth.

To fight these monsters required a different tactic and Kurtis formed an idea. For the one pursuing him he had a little surprise in store. Drawing the vile creature closer to the edge of the arena, Kurtis put his plan into motion. Just as the enemy was about claw him, the Lux Veritatis warrior slid by narrowly missing the razor sharp nails and building up energy in that short space of time he unleashed it on the zombified being.

"GGRRRHHH!" It howled as it was pushed off the ledge with a huge force.

'See ya! Right onto the next one.' Kurtis thought, as he picked his new nemesis and dashed over to it.

Ayesha and Lara kept their own battles going with the emotionless monsters proving to be tough and a challenge. A few near fatal hits had put Ayesha on the defence, she used her speed and agility to her advantage plus it put her high endurance to the test and when a weak spot would become apparent that's when she would make her move.

'I know you're there show yourself…Ah ha gotcha!'

At a critical weak point, Ayesha brought and struck out with her ice axe, in the process tearing the disgusting enemy into two. It gave a shrieking cry and was no longer after that.

In the mist of all this Lara concentrated on defeating her dreaded pursuer. The tomb raider decided on the best course of action for her was to blind the monster. A chance came while the experimental being made a mistake at overthrowing a punch towards Lara's direction too far. To punish it for this costly error, Lara skidded underneath the creature and with her pistols pointed up she fired them.

BANG! BANG! Success!

Now blinded, it had to rely on its hearing, but with all that is happening it proved to be difficult for the dead being. Lara seized advantage and as it wandered to the ledge in agony she gave it a good kick making it fall from the platform. With only two more left to go from Project V, Kurtis had another trick up his sleeve. He brought out his Chirugai disc and watched the environment around him to catch out the last two. In the heat of the moment though Lara got caught off-guard and was thrown onto the ground.

"Oooff!" She reacted as she was forced onto the ground. Before the gross being could deliver its final blow to Lara, Kurtis had already thrown his Chirugai and the five bladed disc came into life. It spun at such a ferocious speed that when Lara had opened her eyes the monster that was on top of her had fallen.

"Cheers Kurtis!" Lara gave a thumbs up to him.

"No problem, where's the last one?"

The Chirugai returned to Kurtis as he prepared himself for one final throw of it, but there was still no sign of the last of Project V.

"There we go all sorted!" Ayesha came over and dusted off her hands.

"Did you just take care of the last one?" An astounded Lara queried her.

"Oh yeah, piece of cake."

"Nice one, okay then let's move on shall we?"

"Wait a minute, you guys go on ahead, I'll make sure the helicopter is ready to pick you both up for when you get out of there."

"You sure Ayesha? We could use your help in taking down Lydia." Kurtis asked.

"Yeah you two will be fine, besides someone needs to make sure you get out in one piece anyway."

"True, thanks Ayesha…We'll send up a flare if we prevail and manage to escape." Lara summed up.

"Great it's a plan, I'll see you two soon and be careful."

"You too Ayesha, see you later!"

The group separated going their opposite ways. Kurtis and Lara carried on their journey to reach the Visionary Keepers sanctuary. In no time they found the manhole which meant the couple were on the right track. Avoiding the vicious icicles that were still unfortunately present in the path, Lara and Kurtis entered the courtyard area.

"Wow…This is incredible!" An amazed Kurtis said as his breath had been taken away by the beauty of the sight.

"Of course you haven't seen this wonderful garden yet." Lara briefly forgot Kurtis wasn't around last time. It was hard to imagine just a year ago he was gone, but now she was happy he was brought back to life. She certainly didn't want to lose him again.

As before the gardens had been maintained perfectly. Every colour of the rainbow you could name was represented in the flowers and vegetation, all kept alive and blooming by the teamwork from the sunlight above and the running water fountain. However, something out of place had spoilt the scenery.

'The robot guardian!' The machine was situated near the roses, sitting there lifeless. Lara and Kurtis rushed over to examine what happened to the android. Noticeably the metal plated armour had been heavily pierced by many slashes and scratches. Further examination at the back showed that the control panel was severely damaged thus deactivating the whole machinery. This only meant one thing…

"She's been through here." Lara stated as she turned to face Kurtis.

"Let's end this together." He confidently said to her and immediately hand-in-hand they dashed through the gate leading to the otherworldly seven.


	15. Council Of The Seven

- **Council of the Seven**

A mixture of nervousness and excitement filled Lydia as she made her way through the very same corridor Lara had taken a year ago to meet with the extra-terrestrials. This was to be her defining moment to shine, she was going to make history right here. Project V, also known as Necrosis proved to be a success so far even though they were a result of a failed experiment at reviving life. Enhanced with special abilities such as high resistance to gunfire and trained to fight and obey without question, they had become a worthy soldier unit. They'd easily destroyed the mechanical contraption that was gate-keeping the entrance together, and Lydia decided that one of the unit stay with her while the other five would scout outside for intruders as a precaution. If anyone dared to follow her they will be dealt with by them.

Holding the concealed Neutron Star orb in her grasp, the key to all this, Lydia couldn't wait to unlock the secrets within. Walking by the series of doors that held the seven's treasure they had amassed throughout time, Lydia and her creepy companion had got to the final door. Taking a deep breath and knowing what she was going to say to the seven, she took one last look at her unnatural creation.

'Should anything go wrong it will protect me from harm.' And with that thought in mind she pushed the door wide open as if she meant business.

"Welcome Lydia Heissturm, we are the Visionary Keepers that you have sought out in your quest here." A voice calmly announced so suddenly as Lydia and her cohort approached centre stage. This initially shocked her how they already knew her name, and the door behind them swung shut.

"We sense the bloodline of the Lux Veritatis in you, do you come on their behalf?" Was the first question from the seven. Lydia kept a firm stance and wasn't going to be intimated by this collective council they have formed.

"No I am not part of the order anymore. I seek a different objective." A confident Lydia stated to them.

"Then please explain what it is you want from us?"

Under the blue hue caused by the planetary symbols that were lit up on the ceiling, Lydia presented the Neutron Star artefact to the seven. Gasps and whispers were next heard as the extra-terrestrial beings conversed amongst themselves about what has been just shown to them.

'Obviously this orb holds important significance to them too.' Lydia assumed and soon the Visionary Keepers returned their attention to their latest arrival.

"Tell us human, how did you come in possession of such power?" Another voice from the shadows spoke.

"This artefact has been hidden by the Lux Veritatis, they sealed it underground until I discovered its existence and led an expedition to obtain it." She answered their question.

"Intriguing." They replied, wondering how far she was willing to go to achieve her goals.

"What do you hope to gain when using the powers from it?" A hissing-like voice had come to inquire next. This is when Lydia's true objective came to light.

"I will use this power to cleanse the world! I intend to immortalise those who possess the skills or are worthy to be part of my new world. I want humanity to have the capability to explore outer space and live on other planets so this one can be saved. I know this plan will essentially cut the population but I believe this is the best way for us to achieve evolution for all lifeforms on this Earth. So here's my proposal to you seven…I know you have the knowledge beyond the Lux Veritatis archives about this orb and how to harness it to reach its maximum potential. Help or teach me how to use this power to benefit life on Earth." Lydia proposed to the Visionary Keepers.

There was a long pause as the seven debated about what had just been said. They spoke in their language so the visitors could not understand one bit of their conversation. Lydia kept close to her guard just in case the seven would reject her proposal and might start to get violent.

"Interesting…we're not sure whether to take your offer or not…what would be in it for us if we help you fulfil your dream?"

Lydia thought to herself at this very crucial point. She had to say the right thing they wanted otherwise she would lose everything she worked so hard for. Thinking back to when Lara's memories were recreated and shown through Hypnos to the time when the tomb raider questioned their existence and purpose here, Lydia recalled the fact that these seven desired data and information about everything on Earth so they can transmit it back to their home world. She can offer that plus for them to remain incognito.

"I'll allow you to continue your research plus allow you access to my company's resources too which includes the Lux Veritatis archives. Furthermore, you will remain unknown to those who live to see my vision come to life, you have my guarantee on that, only I would know of your existence." Lydia answered, hoping she had said the right words.

"It seems you have done some research on us, good…One last thing before we seven decide…Every living thing will need to be in contact with the influence from the star for this dream to work, how are you going to do that?" The voice queried her just to see how she would answer.

The situation they were in seemed like a job interview, but the seven had to be sure they were dealing with the right person. They already noted Lydia's previous failed attempts with one of the Project V specimens standing right next to her serving as a bodyguard.

"With this power combined with our technologies I can assure you we will become an unstoppable force. Radiation will be the main way to distribute the energy around the world, we will emit it from our satellites all over so everything becomes influenced by the waves. Believe me, I have thought long and hard about this for years. It will be untraceable. We will also influence the media too so no one will ask any questions but even by then it will be too late." Lydia explained, even though she sounded sinister and evil in the end she really thought she was going to do some good for the world.

"Good, it sounds like you got this all figured out…" They conversed with each other for one final time before their decision was made.

"Very well we'll teach you how to use the Neutron Star power to fulfil your wishes."

'Yes!' That was exactly what she wanted to hear. Her dreams were going to come true…

Until her hopes and ambitions were soon dashed by the sudden appearance of Lara and Kurtis.

"STOP!" They both shouted as they'd burst through the door.


	16. Who Sold The World?

\- **Who Sold the World?**

"Stop this madness now! Stop whatever it is you're hideously planning now!" Both Lara and Kurtis called out together, interrupting the meeting that had taken place between Lydia and the Visionary Keepers.

"Ah the famous Lara Croft returns…" One of the voices from the shadows announced.

The couple had their signature weapons out trained on Lydia and the last of Project V, ever tempted to pull the trigger to end all this. However, she was unarmed which was against their principle…Instead they would try and dissuade the Seven from whatever deal they made with her.

"We also sense a stronger presence of Lux Veritatis blood…Now two are in the room, a brother and sister…Welcome Kurtis Heissturm to our domain."

"You must be the Visionary Keepers that I keep hearing about." He replied, staring into the shroud of darkness that covered their identities.

"Yes we are…So you must know what our purpose here is?"

"I certainly do."

Lydia couldn't believe what was happening. This was supposed to be her time to shine but it looked like it was slipping away.

'They somehow managed to defeat the five of Necrosis that were stationed to ambush and kill anyone that was nearby! How did they do it!?" Lydia thought in disbelief, she was almost tempted to order her final Project V specimen to kill them there and then…But she had something else in mind if things didn't go her way. She decided to bide her time as the Seven may change their mind on the matter.

"Then please tell us why we shouldn't show your sister the power she could have with the Neutron Star, we will always listen to reason." The Seven offered a chance to the couple and Kurtis was first up.

"As you are probably aware the Lux Veritatis order aims to maintain the peace and part of that includes suppressing evil to keep this goal. From the sounds of it the Lux Veritatis have helped you in the past?" Kurtis began and the Seven pondered for a second.

"But!" Lydia shouted in protest.

"Silence!" A voice from the Seven aggressively rejected Lydia's appeal into this. Her eerie bodyguard gave a snarling growl, but it didn't trigger any response. Lydia backed down in anger, knowing all she could do at the moment was watch the events unfold right in front of her.

"Yes you are correct, the Lux Veritatis have indeed assisted us in the past when there were more numbers in the order. They helped us gather some of the artefacts and treasures you walked past earlier on… The light of truth is our friend and have our sincerest respect."

"Then mutually as our friend you do know that Lydia's plan would cause chaos to the world, something that goes against the fundamental principles of the Lux Veritatis." Kurtis informed them. Again they took a minute to debate what was said before another voice addressed the group.

"Even though the Order of the Lux Veritatis is our friend, our main objective of collecting data about life on Earth must be priority and Lydia's proposal provides substantial data which will be invaluable to analyse."

The intensity of the atmosphere in the room had risen as the Seven seemed to be taking Lydia's side.

"Is there any other reason why we shouldn't continue with our decision?" They questioned the duo for one last time. During Kurtis's debate with the Seven, Lara had a window of opportunity to think of a good reason why they needed to reverse their allegiant to Lydia. The words immortality, outer space and threat whirled around in her head until she knew what to say.

"I have a valid reason that you may wish to hear." Lara answered their final call for reasoning.

"Please speak Ms. Croft." One of the Seven said, eagerly waiting for her response.

"Lydia seeks the power of immortality from the Neutron Star and intends to subject everyone on Earth to its power. She then wants those who have survived and obtained this power to go beyond and inhabitant other planets… What happens if she decided to turn against you once humanity eventually discovers your home world?" Lara argued and this made the whole room silent for a while.

"But we have clearly stated our terms to Ms. Heissturm and she has agreed to them." They hissed at Lara but she remained composed.

"Ah ha, but will she honour the agreement once she learns these powers the Neutron Star can offer…Remember we are talking about a person who had a hand in her father's death, her own flesh and blood to drive closer to her ambitions. Who's to say she won't do the same to you…This is more of a threat to you than an opportunity." Lara explained to them. She had done her best and hoped it worked to change their view.

Once again the Seven extra-terrestrial beings debated with each other in their own language, and taking longer than usual they had reached a final decision.

"We Seven have come to conclusion. After taking in what has been said on both sides we decided it would be too dangerous for this orb to remain in human hands, we will keep it with us forever!"

"Noooooo!" Lydia cried out in rage after having just heard her dreams shatter right in that very room after their decision. She then darted an ugly glare at the two responsible for what has happened.

"You! Fools! Do you realise what you have done!? You have taken away the only chance we all had for redemption. Evolution will not happen and the world's resources will inevitably run out! You have sold the world out of its only cure!"


	17. A Lovers End

\- **A Lovers End**

"KILL THEM! KILL THEM!" A frustrated Lydia repeatedly ordered her vicious abomination. She wanted revenge on them for sabotaging her hopes and dreams.

The dreadful creature changed into an attacking stance and began to charge at full pelt at the duo. Having been fully prepared for an attempt on their lives, Kurtis held onto his trusty Chirugai and as the monster raised its arm to slash them, the five-bladed disc spun into life and sliced through the grotesque body. The last of Necrosis had fallen.

"Argh! No! My creation!" Lydia exclaimed, now having been left with only two options. Snatch the orb or plan B…

"This is getting embarrassing, just face it Lydia you have lost. Come with us and let's get out of here." Lara brutally told her but kindly offered the chance to walk away from this.

"Never!" Lydia angrily rejected Lara's offer. She wasn't going to go down without a fight and decided that plan B was her best chance.

'A threat!' The Seven had seen what Lydia drew out from her pocket. A detonator! Lydia grinned at both Lara and Kurtis as she pulled out the device.

"I've rigged this place with dynamite as a fail-safe, so if the Seven don't do as I say I'll blow this complex they have built to smithereens!"

"You wouldn't dare!" Kurtis warned but she wasn't going to change her mind, unfortunately it already was made up.

"Try me…Now you so called Visionary Keepers let's get back to our…huh! Where's the orb!?" Lydia's eyes widened as soon as she noticed the orb had gone.

"Seems like they have taken the orb and fled, you have no leverage now my dearest sister." Kurtis stated but from the look of things Lydia was starting to act crazy.

"All that work! All that planning! All the resources I've poured into this…Gone! Wasted!" She shouted in a fit of hysteria.

"Calm down Lydia, I'm sure there is a better way to save the world from this future demise you speak off, humanity will find a way." A positive Lara tried to sway her…but it didn't work and with gritted teeth plus red eyes, Lydia faced her two enemies.

"Maybe, however we won't live to see it… I will not allow you two to live after destroying my dreams…Now we will all die!" Lydia did the inevitable and pushed the switch.

BOOM! BANG! BOOM! BANG!

The sequence of explosions had rung the ears of the three as the whole place began to rumble like an earthquake was happening.

"RUN!" Kurtis shouted out and on the double the trio rushed out of the room. It was hard to keep balance with all the violent shaking whilst sprinting through the corridor as already the whole structure was breaking apart. In the spur of the moment Lara thought of all those artefacts that the Seven had accumulated since they started their data collecting were now either going to be lost or destroyed amongst the chaotic destruction. This saddened her, but there was no time for regret as they passed through the gate and onto the courtyard. Everything that was once pristine had turned into rubble…the beautiful gardens were no more plus there was no sign of the robot guardian.

Dashing towards the icicle path ahead, the trio continued their attempt at escaping the mayhem. They reached where the fountain was, however out of the blue a large piece of debris from above crashed into the fountain causing the ground to give way. This event caught the three within its snare and before they knew it they were sliding down into the unknown.

SPLASH!

The trio landed in the fountain's reservoir underneath, while the structure around them was on its last legs with the chance of escaping becoming ever less likely.

"Swim for it!" Kurtis shouted. As he led the pack he could see the light from outside just waiting. Time slowed to a crawl, everything was collapsing inside and there was only one path to take…

In the mist of swimming for their lives, Lydia and Lara fell into deep danger as another huge rock dropped down into the depths of the waters catching the two in the process. Fortunately, it didn't fatally crush them however they were stuck within its grasp. The two women cursed at their terrible situation, struggling to free themselves from this sinking slab.

Kurtis crossed the finishing line at the end of the path with the exit within arm's length. He turned back to see how the others were doing but to his shock they were nowhere to be found…

"Lara! Lydia!" Kurtis called out their names desperately but no one replied.

With the walls closing in slowly, the Lux Veritatis warrior knew at the most he could save only one of them, so selflessly he dived back in the dark pool. Initially his eyes had to adjust to the shadows lurking underwater, but Kurtis still carried on. It was a simple choice of either Lara or Lydia that he would get to first, and he knew the person he wanted to save was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He reached the person who he was going to help and to his amazement it was indeed the tomb raider.

Close to going unconsciousness Lara was happy to see Kurtis drawing near and the minute he got to her he exchanged some of his precious oxygen to her in a passionate lifesaving kiss. All Lydia could do was witness this act of true love as she accepted her fate from her own doing. In a matter of a few seconds Kurtis managed to release Lara from the grip of the rock and he took one last look at his sister. For all the trouble she had caused them with this orb business, he would be forever grateful to her for bringing him back to life and saving Lara too. Lydia gave a nod to her brother as he gave a smile of appreciation to her as she closed her eyes.

Holding hands together as one, Lara and Kurtis darted for the exit. Going as fast as they possibly could, the light from the outside was starting to dim as the only way out was closing in. Luck was on the couple's side however and in the nick of time they jumped through the alcove before it sealed shut altogether.

"Phew! Now that was a close one!" Kurtis said in exhaustion while Lara remained quiet. But before he could say another word, Kurtis was soon met by Lara's feverish hot embrace upon the snow. Their bond was closer than ever… it was from that moment on they were something more than lovers.

"I love you do much!" She breathlessly expressed to him.

"I love you too from the bottom of my heart." He replied to her.

"Thank you for saving my life…" She gratefully told him and he gave a warm smile back.

"I'll always be there for you my love."

Soon after Lara brought out a flare to signal Ayesha and the helicopter to come and pick them up.

"There they are! The two lovebirds! Come on you two let's go home!" Ayesha called out to the couple and not long after the helicopter flew off into the distance with everyone on-board.


	18. Epilogue

**\- Epilogue: Marriage on the Beach**

The day had finally arrived as Lara checked the mirror to make sure her wedding dress was on right. She wasn't a big fan of wearing dresses, much preferring to wear her tank top and khaki shorts which were more practical, but it was nice to keep tradition.

"Oh my…Lara, you look absolutely gorgeous!" Ayesha expressed emotionally, she handed over a bouquet of flowers to her as head bridesmaid.

"Thank you Ayesha." Lara said almost with a tear in her eye. Just then Winston popped his head through the curtain.

"Is the bride ready to face the music?" He cheerfully asked the ladies present.

"She certainly is." They all said in excitement.

"Great, I'll let them know."

Lara took a deep breath and began to walk out of the tent with her bridesmaids. The timing couldn't be any more perfect as the sun settled upon the beach where Kurtis and Lara were to be married. The tomb raider walked along the soft sand with Winston by her side. Sunlight was being reflected upon the seashore making a lovely twinkle effect, their friends and family watching on in delight.

A warm breeze blew by, rustling the flowers that Lara held as she walked the aisle. She looked at Kurtis who looked very smart for the special occasion and stood right next to him. Kurtis couldn't believe his eyes when he first saw Lara at that moment…It was like he was gazing at an incredibly beautiful angel. He readjusted his bowtie as the service began.

…

They said their devoted vows to one another and it came to the final part of the ceremony. Lara looked deeply into his blue sapphire eyes while he did the same back with her hazel ones too. Then each said the two most important words in marriage…" I do".

An around of applause and cheer roared from the crowd as Lara and Kurtis embraced in a wonderful romantic kiss. The now husband and wife linked arms and stared at each other sweetly.

"Ready to explore the world together?" Kurtis asked his newly wedded partner.

"Yeah, let's go on a new adventure!" Lara said in the happiest moment of her life.

 **The End**

Author Notes:

Well we come to a happy ending this time around after the previous story (Fall of the Tomb Raider), thank you for reading this story and for the people who have reviewed the chapters too. Once again this story is dedicated to Crescent Moon -Jessica151294 and Ferilium for inspiring me to create a sequel to Fall of the Tomb Raider and their amazing support along the process of writing this story. Thank you so much.

Josh14Raider


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